On This Day In NBA History: August 10 - All-Star Dwight Howard Is Traded To Los Angeles
Very rarely do teams trade the face of their franchise, especially after six straight postseason appearances, one of which the team made it all the way to the NBA Finals.
However, the Orlando Magic were put in a tough spot heading into the 2011-12 season, as All-Star big man and former No. 1 overall pick Dwight Howard had requested a trade from the team.
While he did not give many reasons as to why he wanted to be dealt, Howard cited at the time that he did not like the on-court direction of the team.
Howard played out the 2011-12 season with Orlando, helping take them to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, but they lost in the first-round to the Indiana Pacers and this ended up being Howard’s final few games with the team.
On this day in 2012, the Orlando Magic traded All-Star Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team deal that netted them six players and five future draft picks.
The Magic ended up acquiring Aaron Afflalo and Al Harrington from the Denver Nuggets, Maurice Harkless and Nikola Vucevic from the Philadelphia 76ers, and both Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga from the Los Angeles Lakers. As for the draft picks they received, Orlando got a second-round pick from Denver in 2013, a first-round pick from Denver/New York in 2014, a 2015 conditional first-round pick from Philadelphia, a 2015 conditional second-round pick from the Lakers and a conditional 2017 first-round pick from the Lakers.
Along with trading Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark were also dealt to Los Angeles, as the Magic traded Jason Richardson to Philadelphia.
This was a massive deal at the time simply because Howard had been the face of the Orlando Magic for years and at the point he was traded, he was a six-time All-Star and arguably the best center in the league.
With the Lakers, Howard averaged 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds (league-high), 2.4 blocks and shot 57.8% from the floor, but Los Angeles’ system really did not fit his style of play, which is why Dwight Howard ultimately ended up leaving the Lakers following the 2012-13 season to join the Houston Rockets.
From this point on, the Lakers entered a rebuilding phase, something their fans have never really been used to and were frustrated by. The team failed to win more than 26 games the following four seasons after Howard left and it was not until the 2019-20 season that Los Angeles ended their six season playoff drought by winning their 17th championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the 2020 NBA Bubble.
The Magic ended up being the clear winners from this trade with the Lakers simply because they got the assets they needed to begin a rebuild that is still taking place today. With a plethora of young talent now on their roster though, Orlando is excited about what the future could hold for them.
After all, drafting Dwight Howard first overall in 2004 turned out pretty well for them and the Magic recently drafted Paolo Banchero first overall this offseason.
Howard is now 36-years-old and could be ready to call his NBA career quits, as the future Hall-of-Fame center has expressed interest in professional wrestling.
In 18 NBA seasons, Dwight Howard has been an All-Star and All-NBA performer eight different times, he led the league in rebounding five different times, he is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and in 2020, Howard won his first and only championship with the Lakers.
One of the greatest centers of the 2000’s generation, Dwight Howard will undoubtedly be a Hall-of-Famer in the near future.
